YBOR CITY, Fla. — A mother and daughter witnessed the moments a driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a busy sidewalk outside an Ybor City bar.
The family said they were stopped at a red light when the driver clipped their car before crashing outside the business.
WATCH: Witnesses describe moment car crashes into Ybor City sidewalk, killing 4 people
It happened early on Saturday morning.
"I was scared. I was scared for me. I was scared for my daughter. There was nothing I could do at the moment. I couldn't go on the sidewalk, obviously. I couldn't go on the other side of the road, I was stuck," said the mother.
The family asked us not to use their name, but said their car was damaged. They went to the hospital for neck and back pain.
"That is so sad. A 22-year-old and he just rammed into everybody and ruined their entire life," said the mother.
Tampa Police responded to the deadly crash on East 7th Avenue in Ybor early Saturday morning.
Around 12:40 a.m., Tampa Police said Silas Sampson was driving recklessly on I-275. He exited the interstate where authorities initiated a pit maneuver, but it did not work. Police said Sampson continued to speed toward Nebraska Avenue, continuing eastbound on 7th Avenue.
Tampa Police said Sampson lost control and crashed into a business, hitting more than a dozen people who were outside. Four people died.
Tiffany Jensen visited the crash site on Monday and brought flowers.
"We left around 11:00 p.m. and then I get home and I checked my phone and all I see is four people died, 11 injured because of stupid driving, carelessly," she said.
Jensen was overwhelmed with emotion, knowing she had grabbed pizza hours before the crash happened this weekend.
"Because that could have been me. I was here that night. If I stayed an hour later, here, I walked on that sidewalk right there, and that could've been me," said Jensen.
Alan Clendenin, Chair of Tampa City Council, said he is open to suggestions on ways to improve safety in Ybor City.
"It wasn’t about the street closure, it wasn't about the street being open or closed or anything else that happened. Somebody did something that was against the law. They broke the law and people died," he said.
"That being said, of course, as the government, the city council, along with the mayor and the administration, we’re open to all ideas, and I think as we move forward, we’re always looking to improve safety and security for the City of Tampa. Everything is always on the table, it was on the table before this incident, it's on the table after this incident. We're going to have a lot of discussion about it," said Clendenin.
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